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Workout Notes: Nets, Bulls, Evans, Dorsey

June 7th, 2017 at 9:09pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets worked out several prospects today, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jaron Blossomgame, Devin Robinson, Wesley Iwundu, Damyean Dotson, London Perrantes and Tarik Phillip all participated in drills for Brooklyn.

There’s more news on prospects meeting with teams. Here’s the latest:

The Bulls had Luke Kennard, Shane Hammink, Isaiah Briscoe and Isaiah Hicks in for a workout today, Scotto tweets. Chicago owns the No. 16 and No. 38 overall draft selections.
Jawun Evans will work out for the Blazers on Thursday and the Thunder on Friday, according to Scotto (Twitter link). The scribe adds that Evans will meet with the Jazz on Saturday.
Tyler Dorsey worked out for the Sixers today, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet tweets. Dorsey will also work out for the Blazers, Kings, Pelicans, Hornets, and Spurs before the June 22 draft.
Sindarius Thornwell, Dotson, P.J. Dozier, Johnathan Motley, Semi Ojeleye and L.J. Rose will all work out for the Lakers on Friday, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: J. Jackson, Isaac, Tatum, Thompson

May 30th, 2017 at 9:47pm CST by Joshua Fischman

The Suns potentially have a difficult decision to make when they find themselves on the clock with the fourth overall pick, writes Doug Haller of AZCentral Sports. Three talented freshman small forwards could be available: Josh Jackson, Jonathan Isaac, and Jayson Tatum. Defense and three-point shooting are likely the Suns’ two most glaring weaknesses, and one of these athletes could certainly help.

Haller writes that Jackson’s real impact could come defensively. The scribe adds that, while Tatum is nowhere near the defender that Jackson is, the Duke freshman may be the most polished scorer in the draft. As for Isaac, he can play both forward positions, with many believing that he will also be able to man the center position when his body fills out. Furthermore, the departing Seminole would contribute defensive versatility, having defended all over the floor for Florida State.

Here are some more pertinent notes from the Pacific division:

On Tuesday, the Suns were set to host two pre-draft workouts, per the club’s official Twitter page. The announced participants were Zak Irvin, Wesley Iwundu, Luke Kornet, Kennedy Meeks, Semi Ojeleye, Devin Robinson, and Jarrett Allen.
The Kings will hold two pre-draft workouts on Wednesday, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. The first group is full of big names: Justin Jackson, Jordan Bell, Frank Mason, Kyle Kuzma, London Perrantes, and Devin Robinson. Jones points out that, prior to last year’s draft, the Kings convinced just once first-round pick to visit the team, even though Sacramento held the eighth overall selection. To find out which players are part of the second group that is working out for the Kings on Wednesday, check out Jones’ full story.
Ivan Rabb does not regret returning for his sophomore season at Cal despite falling from a likely lottery pick in the last draft to an expected low first-round selection this time around, reports Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. On the contrary, Rabb believes that staying in school an additional season will help him at the next level. Rabb was one of six players to work out for the Lakers on Tuesday. The others were Jaron Blossomgame, Sterling Brown, Tyler Dorsey, Cameron Oliver, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes.
Klay Thompson‘s historic Game 6 against the Thunder in the 2016 Western Conference Finals had a transformative effect on basketball history, chronicles Tim Kawakami of The San Jose Mercury News. Although Thompson’s performance that night did not lead to a second-straight Warriors championship, without it, Kevin Durant very well may not have joined Golden State during the ensuing offseason.

Central Notes: Pistons, Valentine, Bucks, Pacers

May 17th, 2017 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Having remained at No. 12 after Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery, the Pistons are scouting a wide range of prospects and won’t necessarily target a player at a position of need next month, per GM Jeff Bower (link via Rod Beard of The Detroit News). As Bower explained, a player’s value and long-term potential may make him the best pick for Detroit, even if he doesn’t immediately fit into the team’s rotation.

Our list of draft picks by team shows that the Pistons’ 12th overall selection is currently their only pick in this year’s draft. That could make it difficult for the club to bring in second-round prospects for workouts, but Bower remains hopeful that those players will be willing to audition for the team, recognizing that they could be undrafted free agents, or that the Pistons could acquire a second-round pick.

“Some guys aren’t going to want to come in and work out if they don’t see a vehicle at the end of it,” said the Pistons’ GM. “The reality of it is we are looking for guys where we don’t have a second-round pick now — we could (via a trade) — but those possibilities change, so you want to try to be prepared. … Our relationships with agents are strong. They like our program and like their guys to have the exposure to us.”

Here’s more from around the Central division:

After being nagged by ankle issues during his rookie season, Bulls guard Denzel Valentine has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, a person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press (link via USA Today). Valentine’s recovery timetable isn’t expected to stretch out too long — the AP report suggests he’s expected to play for Chicago in Summer League action in July.
UCLA’s T.J. Leaf is headlining the Bucks‘ workouts today, but the team is looking at several prospects, per a press release. Landen Lucas (Kansas), Devin Robinson (Florida), Wesley Iwundu (Kansas State), Jacob Wiley (Eastern Washington), Jabari Bird (California), Derrick White (Colorado), and Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan) are also in attendance.
The Pacers also have another group of prospects in for workouts today. According to a team release (and Twitter link), Indiana is taking a closer look at Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Ben Moore (SMU), Semi Ojeleye (SMU), Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina), Michael Young (Pittsburgh), and Evan Bradds (Belmont).
Paul George‘s future is the main topic of conversation looming over the Pacers‘ offseason, but the team has other issues to address, including re-signing Jeff Teague, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical details in his Pacers offseason preview. We looked earlier this month at five key questions facing Indiana this summer.

Draft Updates: D. Robinson, McDuffie, Rowan

April 16th, 2017 at 7:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Florida junior Devin Robinson, who was previously reported to be testing the draft waters, will hire an agent, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility, a source tells Jon Rothstein of FanRag Sports. Robinson’s 2016/17 averages were somewhat modest (11.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG), and he ranks just 63rd on Chad Ford’s ESPN big board, but the 6’8″ forward exhibited an improved outside shot in his junior year, shooting 39.1% on threes, and comes in at No. 37 on the DraftExpress board. He’ll have a chance to be drafted in the second round this June.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

A pair of Arkansas guards have decided to test the 2017 NBA draft waters, the school announced on Friday in a press release. Juniors Daryl Macon and Jaylen Barford won’t sign with agents, meaning they could opt out of the draft by May 24 and retain their NCAA eligibility. Neither player is considered likely to be drafted, so there’s a good chance they’ll both be back with the Razorbacks.
Wichita State forward Markis McDuffie will put his name into the draft pool, but won’t hire an agent, reports Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog (Twitter link). McDuffie ranks 49th on DraftExpress’ list of sophomore prospects.
North Carolina State sophomore shooting guard Maverick Rowan will also enter the draft without hiring an agent, giving him the opportunity to withdraw his name, as he tells Jon Rothstein (Twitter link). Rowan comes in a little behind McDuffie on DX’s sophomore rankings, at No. 55.

Draft Notes: Robinson, Blackmon, Clark, Sina

April 7th, 2017 at 10:13am CST by Luke Adams

With the NCAA tournament over and the deadline for early-entry candidates inching closer, we can expect to hear word of more underclassmen declaring their intent to test the draft waters in the coming weeks. A year ago, 162 players initially entered the draft before more than half of them withdrew their names. This year, we’re almost halfway to 162, with plenty more to come.

With all sorts of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors putting their names into the draft pool, we don’t want to let any slip through the cracks, so here’s the latest round-up of early entrant news, including a couple reports from last week:

Florida forward Devin Robinson has opted to enter the draft without hiring an agent, giving him the option of returning to the Gators for his senior year, according to Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun. Robinson, the 38th-ranked prospect on DraftExpress’ big board, is leaning toward going pro, but will make his decision after getting feedback in the coming weeks, says Dooley.
Indiana junior guard James Blackmon Jr., who ranks 15th among Big Ten prospects according to DraftExpress, will test the draft waters. As Gregg Doyel of The Indianapolis Star reports, Blackmon has decided to enter the draft but won’t hire an agent. That will give him the option to withdraw his name, as he did a year ago after testing the waters.
UMass junior swingman Donte Clark has declared for the draft, but will also put off hiring an agent in order to retain his NCAA eligibility for now, writes Matt Vautour of The Daily Hampshire Gazette. As Clark explains, he’ll make his draft decision first, then will decide whether to return to UMass for one more year or transfer to another program.
Jaren Sina, a junior guard at George Washington, has decided to turn pro and will be represented by agent Misko Raznatovic, a source tells Sportando. Sina isn’t considered a top prospect by draft experts, but given his choice of agents, he likely intends to play international ball.

And-Ones: Taylor, Ridley, Robinson

April 26th, 2016 at 10:43pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Glen Taylor has brought two minority-share investors into the Timberwolves ownership group, according to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link), but the 75-year-old Taylor said today that he’s committed to remaining in charge of the team for at least the next five years, observes Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. That aligns with the length of the contracts for new coach/executive Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden. Taylor has been in talks to sell 30% of the team to Grizzlies minority-share owner Steve Kaplan, and they were reportedly discussing a plan to have Kaplan eventually succeed Taylor as primary owner. Presumably, no such plan exists for new Wolves part-owners Meyer Orbach, a New York real estate mogul, and John Jiang, who, according to Walters, is believed to be the first NBA investor from China.

See more from around the NBA:

Dave Joerger would like to see Lance Stephenson back with Memphis for next season, the Grizzlies coach said Monday, according to Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). Memphis has a $9.405MM team option on Stephenson. “He’s had a lot of success here and the guys accepted him,” Joerger said.
Agents Matt Babcock and Adie von Gontard of APAA Sports Group have signed Texas senior Cameron Ridley, a source told Hoops Rumors. The 6’10” center was a McDonald’s All-American Game starter in 2012 and ranked 14th in the 2012 Recruiting Services Consensus Index, two spots ahead of current Nuggets shooting guard Gary Harris. Ridley will look to regain that form in predraft workouts with NBA teams and climb his way into the top 100 lists that Chad Ford of ESPN.com and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress compile.
Kentucky coach John Calipari said in March that all 14 underclassmen on his roster would enter this year’s draft, at least to test the waters, but only five Wildcats appear on the NBA’s official list of early entrants released earlier this evening. Florida small forward Devin Robinson was reportedly going to enter the draft and doesn’t appear on the official list either, though that’s no shock, since he’s had major foot surgery since the report that he was draft-bound emerged.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Draft Notes: White, Taylor, Diop, Sipahi

April 21st, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nebraska junior small forward Andrew White intends to test the waters and declare for the 2016 NBA Draft, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The 22-year-old is the No. 25 ranked junior according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress and lands at a less optimistic No. 262 overall according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. In 34 appearances for the Cornhuskers this season, White averaged 16.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals to accompany a shooting line of .481/.412/.775.

Here’s the latest news regarding this year’s draft:

University of Texas point guard Isaiah Taylor intends to hire an agent, which would eliminate the opportunity for him to withdraw from the draft and return to school for his senior season, relays Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
Turkish point guard Kenan Sipahi intends to enter this year’s NBA draft, agent Misko Raznatovic tweets. The 20-year-old is the No. 18 overall ranked international player in his class, according to Givony.
African center Ilimane Diop and Latvian forward Rolands Smits intend to enter this year’s NBA draft, Eurohopes.com relays (via Twitter). Diop, a native of Senegal, is the No. 13 international prospect born in 1995, according to Givony, who projected him as the No. 50 overall player in the 2017 draft. Smits is the No. 20 international prospect in his class, according to the DraftExpress scribe.
Florida sophomore small forward Devin Robinson underwent surgery to repair a left foot stress fracture and is expected to be out of action for four to six months, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. The ESPN scribe speculates that this will result in Robinson withdrawing from this year’s NBA draft, though no announcement to that end has been made by the player or the university.
Dayton junior guard Charles Cooke intends to enter this year’s NBA Draft, though he’ll hold off on hiring an agent, which will allow him to return to school if he withdraws prior to the May 25th deadline, Goodman relays (on Twitter). The 21-year-old is a long shot to be selected and doesn’t appear among the top 100 prospects on Givony’s or Ford’s rankings.

Florida SF Devin Robinson To Test Draft Waters

April 5th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

Florida sophomore small forward Devin Robinson will enter this year’s draft without an agent, sources told Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). He can withdraw and retain his college eligibility before the May 25th deadline as long as he doesn’t hire an agent. The 6’8″ 21-year-old is 71st in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings and 97th on Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider list, so strong performances in team workouts and the combine are liable to lift him into second-round territory.

Robinson was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, coming in 20th in the Recruiting Services Consensus Index, three spots ahead of Devin Booker, the 13th pick in last year’s draft. Two underwhelming seasons at Florida appear to have hurt Robinson’s stock. He averaged 9.0 points per game this season after notching just 6.4 a year ago in a particularly disappointing freshman season. Robinson lifted his 3-point percentage to a respectable 34% this year after last season’s 25.6%, and he grabbed more than twice as many rebounds in relatively similar minutes.

His final game this season left a poor impression, as he fouled out against George Washington in the NIT with just two points and three rebounds in 18 minutes. Still, he had his moments, including his 17-point, eight-rebound, three-block outing in an overtime game against NCAA Tournament bubble team South Carolina.